The “Theory of Multiple Intelligence” proposed by Howard Gardner (a Harvard psychologist) in his book “Frames of Mind” talks about the different types of intelligence. According to him, human intelligence can be divided into eight types. Musical intelligence is one of them. 

People who make career choices based on their dominant intelligence tend to do well because that’s what they are good at. If you are someone with high musical intelligence, consider careers that will allow you to use this strength to excel professionally. Today we will share the best career options for people who score high in musical intelligence. But first…

What do we mean by musical intelligence? 

Understanding music in terms of its sound, tone, rhythm, harmony, and melody is a sign of musical intelligence. Musically intelligent people enjoy and appreciate music at an emotional level. They connect with it better and, therefore, are good at expressing their thoughts and feelings through music. Their strong musical awareness allows them to pick up the nuances of various music styles and genres. Hence, you should not be surprised if you see some of them play a tune they heard for the very first time! 

People with high musical intelligence can compose and perform musical pieces. Musical instruments are their best friends! If you enjoy music and observe its criticalities, and unlike your friends, if you love playing a musical instrument and people appreciate your sense of music, you are a musically intelligent person. 

12 Go-to career options for people with high musical intelligence

1. Singer

As a singer, you will be performing vocal music in a recording studio or in front of a live audience. Singers know how to sing songs and musical pieces. They follow all the rules of music and so can sing well, which is pleasing to the ear. If you have been singing for a long time and think you are good at it, consider building a career in singing.

Your job as a singer will be to work in unison with music composers and use your voice to create melodious songs. You will also be involved in rehearsals, recording sessions, music promotions, and live concerts. Singers are highly regarded for their talent, and there will always be a need for singers to create great music.

2. Music Teacher

Do you remember your music classes in school? How did your music teacher help you learn music and musical instruments through fun tasks and activities? Being a music teacher is a rewarding career. You earn a livelihood and also get to teach and imbibe a love for music in other people. In this profession, you will be responsible for creating lesson plans, conducting sessions, evaluating your students’ performances, and more.

You will also have the flexibility to choose where you wish to conduct your classes. It could be at a school, in a community hall, or even at your home! Depending on your expertise, you can teach vocal music, a musical instrument, or both. 

3. Music Composer

A music composer is someone who writes music compositions. All the songs and musical pieces you listen to are the brainchildren of a music composer. These are the professionals who give a tune and background music to lyrics. They are the ones who put it all together. Most music composers create and record musical compositions for tv shows, movies, commercials, etc.

Using their exceptionally high musical intelligence and creativity, a music composer creates musical pieces that are in tune with the video to leave a lasting emotional impact on the listeners. So, if you love composing music and dream of working with producers and directors to reach a vast audience, you can consider becoming a music composer. 

4. Record Producer

A record producer is a professional who is responsible for the final product of a music piece. Their prime role is to ensure that the music produced is of the highest quality and meets industry standards. To get this done, record producers hire studio musicians for the recording process. They also set schedules and monitor the recording process to get the best output.

While singers and musicians may sometimes feel overwhelmed by their need for musical precision, they do understand and appreciate it when the final product is worth the extra effort they put in because of the record producer’s goal to make it sound as good as possible. 

5. Symphony Conductor

If you have ever seen a classical music performance by an orchestra or a choir, you would have definitely seen a symphony conductor. It is that one person you see holding a baton and guiding the singers/ musicians during their performance. Their role as conductor is to ensure the team is playing it altogether. They serve as a messenger to convey the score to the musicians through baton movements or hand gestures.

You can also find them doing rehearsals with their team of musicians before final performances to make sure they are playing music in harmony. Sometimes, symphony conductors also work with guest conductors and soloists to direct memorable musical performances. 

6. Songwriter

People who are good at words and have a great sense of music can look forward to a career in songwriting. As a songwriter, you will be responsible for coming up with beautiful lyrics for songs belonging to different genres. You will have to consider the mood of the setting and write the lyrics that complement the mood. Although songwriters work individually, they do have to collaborate with music composers and producers when needed.

Some songwriters also prefer writing songs and pitching them to music publishers and other professionals in the music industry to seek new opportunities. Do you think you can create lyrics that will resonate with listeners and leave a lasting impression? If it’s a “yes,” you could have a bright future as a songwriter. 

7. Session Musician

Session musicians are music professionals hired by producers to support singers by playing the musical score during a recording session. Many of them have expertise in playing multiple instruments such as keyboard, guitar, drums, etc. A session musician participates in rehearsals before the final recording. This is done to minimize mistakes and retakes during the recording session.

In collaboration with the record producer and singer, session musicians work toward producing high-quality music that listeners can enjoy for years to come. Becoming a session musician is a great way to keep your love for musical instruments alive as you get to play the ones you love, even at work!

8. Music Therapist

Are you a believer in the healing power of music? If yes, a music therapist could be your ideal career choice. As a music therapist, you will use music to minimize stress and help people deal with their problems in a better way. Music therapy is beneficial for people of all ages and abilities. So, you will be responsible for enhancing the health and mental well-being of people belonging to a wide age group.

Music therapists provide their services in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, mental health clinics, and even schools. Your job will entail conducting examinations, creating treatment plans, organizing therapy sessions, and keeping track of a patient’s progress. In a nutshell, you will be able to employ the therapeutic benefits of music to help your patients heal and live healthier lives.

9. Disk Jockey

For those of you who love upbeat music and high-energy environments, you will love the job of a disk jockey. Commonly known as a DJ, this person instills life in indoor or outdoor spaces by playing different types of music to create a fun, dynamic atmosphere. As a DJ, you will be using modern musical equipment such as CDJs and turntables to remix songs and create lovely transitions to keep people engaged.

Generally, DJs perform at events and parties where people look forward to having a good time. As good music equals good times, having a good DJ is vital for an event’s success. If you have a knack for good music and love interacting with people, a career as a disk jockey may interest you. 

10. Jingle Writer

A jingle is a short song with a catchy tune that’s easy to remember. These are memorable and attention-grabbing. As a jingle writer, you will be writing interesting musical compositions with lyrics that can be used for marketing and advertising purposes. You can often hear jingles in advertisements for various goods and services.

Jingle writers collaborate with producers and advertisers to create music, lyrics, and record demos. The main objective of a jingle writer is to produce music that communicates the company’s message and sticks in the minds of listeners, ultimately promoting brand awareness and boosting sales.

11. Sound Editor

The job of a sound editor entails improving the audio component of movies, tv shows, games, and other kinds of media. This is done to create an engaging and impactful audio experience for the audience. As a sound editor, one has to arrange and manipulate sound recordings in the post-production phase to generate a mesmerizing audio output.

A typical workday involves job responsibilities like adding sound effects, adjusting levels and equalization, ensuring the audio component is in tune with the visuals, and so on. If a career in sound editing interests you, receiving training in elements such as sound production, audio engineering, and sound mixing can help you to upskill, thus, opening doors to many opportunities in the field. 

12. Music Critic

An individual who reviews and analyses musical compositions, recordings, and performances is known as a music critic. They share their views on the style, structure, and lyrics of a musical piece as well as judge its quality and artistic value. Being a critic is a job full of responsibility.

People will look up to your reviews to understand whether a musical piece is good or not. Educating audiences on music will also be your responsibility. You will have the power to alter the perception of audiences. Therefore, presenting your reviews fairly with no biases is essential if you become a music critic. 

Concluding thoughts

Musical intelligence is not limited to people who love playing or creating music. It is also present in those who love to hear and appreciate music. These people have a keen ear for the subtleties of music, which others do not have. Identifying your dominant intelligence based on your unique qualities can help you zero in on the right career path for you. If you think musical intelligence is your superpower, the career options mentioned above will make a good choice for your professional growth. By utilizing your musical talent and creativity, you will surely excel by performing your best at the workplace.

Priyanka Sonkushre

I am Priyanka Sonkushre, a writer and blogger. I am the person behind “One Loving Mama,” a mom blog. Equipped with a Bachelor’s degree along with an MBA, my healthcare background helps me deeply understand learning difficulties. I know how challenging it can be for parents to find the right resources to help their children excel in life. So, here I am to blend my healthcare expertise with my parenting experience to create valuable and helpful resources for parents and teachers supporting children with learning differences. If you wish, you can follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn.

onelovingmama.com

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A child who does not show interest in language, for example, might have great ability in the field of mathematics. A child who finds math uninteresting may have a flair for music, or in other words, have high musical intelligence.

Musical intelligence is the ability to process and produce music. It is a cognitive ability often associated with creativity, emotion, and social development.

Musical intelligence is not a single ability but rather a collection of capabilities, including pitch perception, rhythm production, memory for melodies and lyrics, musical knowledge acquisition, and musical expression. 

As proposed by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, musical intelligence is a part of multiple intelligences. Gardner theorizes that people do not have just an intellectual capacity but have many kinds of intelligence, including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual, and linguistic intelligence.

People with high musical intelligence can learn musical instruments easily and have a fine sense of rhythm. They are able to identify musical instruments distinctly and can remember notes and tunes easily. They are skilled at composing and identifying various kinds of music. Musical intelligence enables one to identify patterns distinctly. 

In this post, we will navigate through the list of famous personalities with high musical intelligence who carved a name for themselves in the music industry.

Famous persons with high musical intelligence

1. Michael Jackson 

Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. He was one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. Popularly known as the king of pop, there may not be a music lover in the world who doesn’t know his name. 

Michael Jackson exhibited a high level of musical intelligence from a very early age. Jackson popularized complicated dance moves such as the moonwalk. Some of his songs are credited with breaking racial barriers and having a strong impact on the minds of people. He helped propel the success of MTV and continued to innovate with his videos. 

His album, Thriller became the best-selling album of all time, while Bad was the first album to produce five U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.

2. Mozart

Mozart, a composer from the classical period. Born in Salzburg and showed prodigious ability from his childhood. He was competent on keyboard and violin and began composing from the age of five. He performed before European royalty. His father took him on a grand tour of Europe and then three trips to Italy. At 17, he was a musician at the Salzburg court.

Mozart was a versatile composer and wrote in every major genre, including symphony, opera, solo concert, chamber music, string quartet, string quintet, and the piano sonata. Although these forms were not new, Mozart improvised their technical sophistication and reach. He almost single-handedly developed and popularised the Classical piano concerto.

3. Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney is a British vocalist, songwriter, composer, bass player, poet, and painter. His association with the Beatles helped lift popular music into a creative, highly commercial art form. He is also one of the most popular solo performers of all time regarding record sales and attendance at his concerts.

A multi-instrumentalist, McCartney also played the drums on some Beatles tracks, played all the instruments on some of his solo albums, and led guitar at concerts. Usually known for ballads and love songs, McCartney also was responsible for many of the Beatles’ more challenging rock songs. He had an extraordinary gift for melodies that showed his musical intelligence. 

4. Beethoven

Beethoven is widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived. Beethoven composed music in the transitional period between the Classical and the Romantic eras, and his work has been divided into roughly three periods. He composed some of the most successful pieces during the second phase. Beethoven rearranged the formal structure of the Classical symphony. Beethoven’s work elevated instrumental music to new heights. Beethoven holds an important place in the history of the piano.

Beethoven created many beautiful pieces even though he was deaf. This is the perfect example of someone who could imagine notes and rhythms without hearing them. Only a person who had a high musical intelligence can achieve this. 

5. Stevie Wonder 

He is an American singer and songwriter. He sang across various genres, including rhythm and blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk, and jazz.  He is a multi-instrumentalist and a child prodigy. His mastery over the new generation of electronic keyboard instruments made him a pioneer and an inspiration to rock musicians. 

Blind from birth and raised in inner-city Detroit, he was a skilled musician by age eight.  Stevie Wonder was the recipient of numerous honors. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and in 1999 he was awarded the Polar Music Prize for lifetime achievement by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. 

6. Sarah Chang

Sarah Chang is a Korean American classical violinist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. She enrolled at Juilliard School to study music, graduated in 1999, and continued university studies. 

Especially during the 1990s and early to mid-2000s, Chang had major roles as a soloist with many of the world’s major orchestras. In 1986, when Chang was 5 years old, she auditioned for and was accepted to the Juilliard School. In 1991, when Chang was 10 years old, she recorded her first album, Debut. 

7. Marin Alsop

Marin Alsop is an American conductor. She is currently music director laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as well as chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival. In 2020 she was elected to the American Philosophical Society. She was the first woman to lead a major American orchestra. 

Alsop was the daughter of musicians and studied piano and violin as a child. At a very early age she knew she wanted to be a conductor. In 2005 Alsop was named a MacArthur fellow, the first conductor to be accorded the honor, and received the Classical BRIT (British Record Industry Trust) Female Artist of the Year Award. She was the subject of the documentary The Conductor, which premiered at the Tribecca Film Festival, New York, in 2021.

8. Cher

Cher is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She is referred to by the media as the “Goddess of Pop.” Cher gained popularity in 1965 as one-half of the folk rock husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher after their song “I Got You Babe” peaked at number one on the US and UK charts. Together they sold 40 million records worldwide. 

Her solo career was established during the same time.  She emerged as a fashion trendsetter by wearing elaborate outfits on her television shows. Cher is a dyslexic. She had difficulty in reading and could only rely on her auditory memory to help her study.  However, her musical intelligence helped her achieve success in the field of music. 

9. Sergei Rachmaninoff

He was destined to become an army officer until his father lost the entire family fortune through risky financial ventures and then deserted the family. Young Sergey’s cousin Aleksandr Siloti, a well-known concert pianist and conductor, sensed the boy’s abilities and sent him to Moscow for lessons. 

He was believed to have been suffering from depression. One of the most legendary pianists of all time, Sergei Rachmaninoff was a leading figure in Russian music in the late Romantic era.

10. Paul Simon

American singer-songwriter who brought popularity to rock music. Simon made his own music group as a teenager along with his friends.  Among songwriters of his generation, Simon enjoyed one of the longest-lasting careers as a pop innovator.

Exploring the sounds of indigenous musical cultures, from Southern gospel to Brazilian and West African percussion, he incorporated them into American rock and folk styles to create a highly flexible, personalized style of world music. Simon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Why do we even need musical intelligence?

Musical Intelligence helps musicians come up with exclusive compositions that are creative in nature. It allows them to create more content without having to spend hours practicing. It also helps them understand the music they are listening to better so they can learn from their favorite musicians and songwriters.

Studies suggest a connection between musical aptitude and linguistic abilities.  It also indicated that persons with musical intelligence have better pronunciation skills, accurate chord discrimination ability, and more prominent sound-change-evoked brain activation in response to musical stimuli. Research also pointed at music having a modulatory effect on the brain’s linguistic organization and alter hemispheric functioning in those who have practiced it for long periods of time. 

People with musical intelligence look for patterns in their environment and are drawn to sound. They are able to memorize phrases and words easily. They enjoy dancing and singing. They have an enhanced level of understanding of the musical structure, notes, tone, and rhythm. 

They have a good rhythm and are skilled at playing several instruments. They have a keen interest in music and have the ability to remember songs easily. Musicians need the ability to create and perform music. This requires a certain level of skill in any instrument they choose. Many musicians also have an instinctual understanding of their instruments that allows them to master the technical aspects at a young age.

Wrapping up,

To wrap up, we can conclude that music has been proven to be beneficial in many ways. For example, it can reduce stress levels by lowering heart rates and blood pressure. It also helps with depression by releasing hormones called endorphins which produce feelings of happiness. People with musical intelligence seem to have a flair for linguistic skills too. 

In today ever evolving and stressful world, there must be an emphasis to recognize, appreciate and practice the other types of intelligence like music which will help us to face the world with ease. 

Manpreet Singh

An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having  just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’, 

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Children are more likely to not focus on learning a particular instrument as it gets monotonous. That’s when activities come to your rescue! Activities are a subtle way to incorporate musical intelligence that can help a child with both critical and creative thinking. Such activities enhance their understanding, develop interest, and result in better performance.

While there are various ways to make individuals musically intelligent, activities help parents and teachers involve children in creativity and innovation. Through activities, children get a wide exposure to musical instruments, notes, and rhythms. It is otherwise a tough job to teach how to play any musical instrument. 

Find below the characteristics that make the individual musically intelligent along with various engaging activities to develop such intelligence.

Musical Intelligence: Various characteristics to look out for

Musical intelligence is located in the right hemisphere of the brain, and it has an almost infinite capacity for nuance and complexity. Strong musically intelligent individuals are skilled at thinking in terms of patterns, rhythms, and sounds. When music is a regular component of a child’s life, they thrive most. Teachers and parents may incorporate singing, listening to music, dancing, and playing an instrument into the daily routine for children as a brain break or add that spice of creativity into learning.

Musically intelligent individuals have the following characteristics

• Take pleasure in singing and playing musical instruments
• Capable of conveying ideas through rhythm and song
• Pay close attention.
• Can generate emotions like joy and astonishment.
• Have a good memory for songs and melodies
• Easily recognize musical rhythms and tones
• Possess a thorough understanding of musical notation, songs, rhythms, patterns, and emotions
• Can learn to remain calm in difficult situations

Interesting activities to boost musical intelligence

1. Bring Your Instruments

This is an engaging activity where students get exposure to various kinds of instruments. They also understand the difference between a musical and a percussion instrument.

• To conduct this activity, ask students to bring any kind of instrument that makes music.
• For example, they can get a xylophone, an egg shaker, guitar, piano, violin, or even an electric Casio. 
• Now, ask students one by one to come and play the instrument in front of the class.
• You can also ask them to say a few lines about how the instrument is played. For example, they may say the following. 

A guitar is played with the strings, however, the piano is played with hands 

Such activity is sure to illuminate the entire classroom with musical notes. Students also understand the frequency and density of sound that each instrument produces. 

2. That’s Our Show

This is an engaging activity where children learn team building while also acquiring musical intelligence. In this activity, they can use different types of musical instruments or even produce music by clapping.

• To conduct the activity, give students time of 2 to 3 days. 
• Pair them up into teams of 2 to 3 members per team. 
• Now, ask students to prepare a song that is not included in the syllabus. 
• They can use different musical instruments or make music by clapping or tapping on the floor. 
• Once they are ready with the song, each team is called upon to present their singing show. 

This is an interesting activity where children not only learn to create music but also understand the high and low notes through. coordination with team members. They acquire musical knowledge by watching and listening to others.

3. Produce Music

Presenting an innovative activity where students actually become the producers of their own music! This is a creative activity and can be played with large groups.

• To conduct this activity, ask students to stand next to each other in a circle.
• Now ask one student to start singing any song or rhythm. 
• They can also refer to different poems or prayers. For example, a student may start singing – Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock.
• Once the student is done, the student should clap toward any random player in the circle.
• Now that random player starts the song from where the last player left. 
• Now, the next player should begin this way – Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock; I heard the big long lock lock.
• The activity ends after each player is done singing.

Such an activity builds vocabulary and concentration skills in students. As students get to add their own voices, they also create a beautiful rhythm along with enhancing their memory-building power. 

4. Who Makes the Sound?

Introducing yet another fun and engaging activity where students learn to recognize different types of sound. Music is produced everywhere and this activity helps them understand the source of different types of music.

• To conduct this activity, the teacher should play a recording of different objects and instruments that make a sound. 
• Start with playing the first recording of any simple instrument.
• Make all students sit in a circle.
• Now, as the music stops, ask students to recognize which instrument or object makes the sound. 
• Students should raise their hands to answer the question.
• In this manner, you can add various types of sounds that students are familiar with but might not be able to recognize in everyday life. For example, the sound of shutting a door, clapping, or whistling. 

This activity helps them understand how each object produces sound around them. Such an activity helps them realize how a fan makes the sound as well as different sounds made by animals. This helps them become musically intelligent as they look at music from a broader perspective.

5. Read Poems

Presenting an interesting activity to engage children in music. Students are always exposed to different kinds of rhythms through poems in the syllabus. Hence, this activity involves using different forms of poems to help them develop their rhythms.

• To conduct this activity, print different poems on different sheets of paper.
• These poems should be different from the ones that are already there in the syllabus.
• Now, call each student and ask them to take 2 minutes to read the poem.
• Now, ask them to make their own rhythms and sing the poem in front of the class.

Such an activity engages students to understand how they can give tune and rhythm to a completely unknown form of a poem. It also helps them think critically to analyze the best tune and tone for it.

6. Find my Partner 

This is a fun activity while children learn about musical instruments and the medium used to play different instruments. The activity requires different placards wherein different musical instrument pictures should be imprinted on them. 

• To conduct this activity, make placards that shall have musical instruments and the medium used to play them on different sets.
• For example, if one placard has a piano, the other placard should have a picture of hands.
• Now, make students stand in a circle and distribute these placards to them.
• Make sure each instrument has a different medium used to play them on the placard.
• Play the music and ask students to dance to the rhythm.
• Stop the music and let them interact and go around to find the medium used to play the instrument that they have on the placard.
• For example, if a student has a placard of a drum he/she is supposed to find another student who has a placard of drumsticks.

The activity enables them to acquire knowledge of various instruments along with their sounds. As music is played in the background, they also find it fun to dance and then find the pair. This also helps build memory and focus-building skills.

7. Search for the Rhymes

This is an easy activity that involves quick thinking and being alert while doing the activity. Music is about the right rhyme scheme and this activity focuses on building rhyming knowledge.

• To conduct this activity, make students sit in a circle.
• The teacher says one word and quickly, each student has to say a word that rhymes with it. 
• For example, if the teacher says tock, the students may say – clock, lock, mock, sock
• The teacher may also use two words for the rhyme – Tock Tock.

This activity builds their understanding of the rhyme scheme and how words have the same spelling but different pronunciations. Here, they understand how wind and kind are pronounced differently, and hence, it helps them develop verbal communication. 

That’s it..

While Musical Intelligence is an important aspect of learning, teachers and parents should look for different resources to keep children engaged with music. Musical Intelligence can be developed through different toys, audiobooks, podcasts, read-aloud story books, and various other mediums. 

These activities are a combination of singing, forming rhythms, and also understanding music from a wide range of perspectives. Such activities help students engage in learning while acquiring a taste for different forms of music. It is the time to conduct these activities and transform the learning environment into a musically enchanting atmosphere.

Shweta Sharma

I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn

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